Expecting to Fly
by Moonmarm
Summary: Fed up with her inability to airbend, Korra sneaks off to the Pro-bending Arena, where she meets the famous Bending Brothers, Mako and Bolin. While Bolin is friendly, Korra decides Mako is the biggest jerk in Republic City...and is surprised to find he's the one with the girlfriend. What if Asami and Mako were already dating at the beginning of the series? S1 alternate timeline.
1. Chapter 1

**Opening AN: **Hi! Before you begin, keep in mind that I haven't made a lot of changes in the timeline yet besides the One Big Change. While I've added some things, stuff will follow canon fairly closely for a little bit (i.e. I actually significantly change up some things next chapter). Bear with me. Hopefully what I'm writing is still entertaining!

* * *

"U-u-ugh." Korra let out an undignified grunt as she allowed herself to flop forward onto her bed on her stomach. The bed creaked as her mattress met the whole of her body's weight. Her three thin brown ponytails, propelled by her motion, flew forward into her face. Irritably, she brushed the hair out of her face.

Two weeks! Two weeks, Tenzin had been pushing her on learning airbending. Constant sessions of sleep-inducing meditation and painful airbending exercises. If someone told her to be the damned leaf _one_ more time… angrily, Korra snatched up her nearby pillow and gave it a sound punching.

Two weeks. With the other elements, it hadn't even taken her one week for her to start soaking up what her masters showed her like a sponge. Hell, even for water, the element that had been the most difficult among earth, water, and fire for her to master, she had at least been able to do _something_ from the very beginning. But with air, every time she tried to conjure even the lightest breeze… poof! Or, rather, no poof; no matter how hard she tried, nothing ever happened.

_It can't be this hard!_ she thought to herself. With her fist sounding a frustrated thump, she gave her pillow a final punch before burying her face in it. _I've gotta be the worst Avatar ever._

As she lay still, a sudden thought occurred to Korra:_ Since I __**am**__ the worst Avatar ever, why should I listen to Tenzin?! 'No distractions'… ha! Might as well have some fun!_ She raised her head, and a wide grin spread across her face. The idea became more and more appealing the longer she thought about it. Sliding off the bed, she crept quietly to her room's window and pushed it open. Her face was assailed by the cool, clean night air of Air Temple Island. Korra took a moment breathe in deeply—there, just an arm's length away, was her freedom—before peering down to the ground below. As she scanned the ground, her breath caught. Just at that moment, a guard passed under her window; luckily, he did not seem to have seen her.

Back at home, in the White Lotus compound in the Southern Water Tribe, Korra had early on felt the need to escape its walls. As fun as it was, hanging out with old people who only ever wanted to talk about deep, spiritual bending stuff _all the freaking time_, a girl needed to get out once in a while. At first, it had been easy. It only involved her waiting for the guards to start passing around the rice wine, and she could sneak out with Naga for late-night ice adventures, while only running the risk of being spotted by guards who would forget ever seeing her come morning. But after just _one time_ of _accidentally_ getting stuck in a snowstorm, though, the White Lotus had somehow wised up. They passed out latrine duty for anyone caught inebriated on duty and increased their scrutiny on the Avatar, fencing her in with still more guards. She'd have been flattered, if the whole affair wasn't so damned annoying.

Here, however, the guards were not as versed in Korra's shenanigans. While they were all well-aware that she was the Avatar, there was just something about a teenage girl who still wore her hair in ponytails that implicitly said, "Underestimate me!" When the guard had turned from her window and had walked a sufficient distance away, Korra allowed herself a grin and a whispered "Pathetic", before she hoisted herself out the window. On nimble feet that had been trained after many years of practice to be catlike, she dropped to the ground, scarcely making a sound. After quickly orienting herself, she sprinted away from the temple, not lagging until she reached the edge of the island. Pulling up a wave of water as she jumped from the edge, Korra leaped in, propelling herself forward, through the water and towards the Pro-bending Arena.

* * *

Upon reaching the arena walls, she looked around for a way in. Back home, she had never had to worry about money before, and yet suddenly, here in Republic City, people were asking her to pay for things with money she didn't have, sometimes quite rudely. And frankly, Korra wouldn't have been surprised if the Pro-bending Arena had an entrance fee—and a pricey one, at that. _So much for just trying the front door._ Korra scanned her surroundings for any alternate ways to penetrate the arena. In looking up, she spotted an open window. She smiled and summoned a jet of water from the nearby bay to hoist her up to the window and another to shoot her in. Flying straight through the open window, she landed inside with a graceful barrel roll.

Pulling herself to her feet and bending the excess water off her body, Korra found herself in a dimly lit hallway with pipes and wires lining the walls and ceiling. Taking in the space around her, Korra's eyes darted around the hallways as her feet wandered, seemingly of their own accord. She passed many small utility rooms and storage rooms, her feet not stopping until one particular room caught her eye: a training gym. Large and well-lit, the gymnasium was mostly empty, save for some punching bags and nets hanging on the sides of the room and various other pieces of equipment scattered across the wooden floor.

Korra gasped, the edges of her mouth jerking upwards into a grin. _Now, this is more like it_, she thought happily. As she gazed at each piece of equipment in turn, her mind turned over all the possibilities of what kind of exercises might go on here. She imagined it must be a whole lot more fun than being battered by ancient panels of wood. Entranced, she didn't even realize she had moved until she heard a voice behind her, when she somehow found herself standing in the middle of the room.

"Hey!"

Korra turned towards the sound of the voice to find herself confronted by an obviously irritated, silver-haired man. _Great. An angry old guy. As if I haven't had to deal with enough of them already…._

"What're you doin' in my gym?" he said pointedly.

"Uh," Korra said, smiling meekly, "I was just looking for a bathroom when I got lost."

"Ah, the old 'I had to pee' excuse!" Korra grimaced. She had used the same excuse after the snowstorm incident; it hadn't worked then, either. "You know, I'm sick and tired of you kids sneakin' in without payin'! I'm taking you to security!"

She panicked. "No, wait!"

"There you are!" Her attention momentarily drawn from the older man in front of her, Korra turned to the welcome distraction. Its source was a rather short, broad-shouldered fellow in some kind of red athletic uniform, who had a matching helmet tucked under his right arm. As he approached, he continued, "I've been looking everywhere for you! It's all right, Toza," he directed to the crotchety old man. "She's with me."

Korra grinned. "Yeah, I'm with him."

"So, you see, we're together."

Her grin became more forced. "Well, not _together_, together. More like friends."

"Right. Friends. No, I didn't mean to imply…." He trailed off into a slight cough.

"Oh, you implied it."

With their routine, they had sufficiently annoyed the old man, Toza, that he was deterred. Pulling off the towel that was draped around his shoulders, he whipped it threateningly in the air at Korra and her newfound ally, who were startled out of their back-and-forth. He raised his arms in annoyance. "Ah, I don't care what'cha are! I got work to do." Irritably, he tossed the towel to the floor and stalked away from the pair, glad to be rid of them.

"Right this way, miss." The guy made an exaggerated flourishing gesture with his free hand towards the door, a wide smile on his face.

"I thank you, sir," said Korra, doing a mock curtsey. As an aside, she flashed him a grateful smile and added, "Seriously, thanks."

He led the way out of the gym, and Korra was only too happy to go along for the ride. After following him for a spell, she was halted when he stopped in front of a door that for all intents and purposes looked like any other door she had seen, and he swung it open. As Korra entered next to him, she glanced around the room. It was small and other than a few lockers, the room was otherwise unremarkable in and of itself. Next to her, she heard him say, "Whaddaya think? Best seats in the house, huh?"

She happened to glance forward and let out an involuntary, "Woah." This unassuming locker room overlooked the entire pro-bending ring far below, illuminated by the light from the many spotlights aimed at it. Hundreds or maybe even thousands of people inhabited stands surrounding Korra's vantage point. "Unbelievable. This place is even more amazing than I imagined!"

"Name's Bolin, by the way."

"Korra," she said distractedly, continuing to gaze down at the arena. Korra knew a little bit about what would go on from the snatches she'd been able to catch of the matches off the radio, but to see it in person!

Tenzin and all that leaf crap could go jump in a lake, as far as Korra was concerned.

* * *

While Korra was distracted by the shiny arena, Bolin's attention was drawn from her by one of his teammates' whispered, "Psst. Bolin."

Bolin turned around to find his brother standing by the lockers, dark brown eyes shooting one of his trademark disapproving stares. He sighed and walked towards the lockers. "Yeah, Mako?"

"I _told_ you," said Mako, adjusting the straps on his gloves, "you have got to stop bringing your _crazy_ fangirls in here before the matches."

"Oh really?" Bolin arched one of his thick black eyebrows. "Then what would you call that girl _you_ keep bringing up here… you know, what's-her-face." He stroked his chin in mock contemplation, his lips quirking into a half-smile. "Something sounding like… salami."

"Asami." He slammed his locker shut. "And that was different. Get her out of here."

"Ahh, come on, Mako! Right, look, I _kinda_ promised her that she could stay." He pointed over his shoulder excitedly and grinned at his brother, hoping the enthusiasm would be contagious. It wasn't. "But man, I got a good feeling. There's something special about her, I just know it!" Trying to diffuse the situation, he turned and hurried over to Korra, steering her by the shoulders over to Mako. "Come here, I want you to meet my brother, Mako."

"Mako?" Obligingly, Korra flashed her friendliest smile. As Mako started to walk towards the ring, Korra extended a hand towards him. "Wow! I heard you playing on the radio!"

"Come on, Bolin. We're up." Mako swept past Korra, ignoring her completely.

"…or I could meet him later."

Bolin managed a lighthearted grin. "Yeah, sorry about that. My brother—"

"Is a jerk?" supplied Korra helpfully.

"Nah." He chuckled. "He just gets real…_focused_ before a match." Bolin pulled on his helmet, fastening it shut under his chin. "Okay, I gotta go. Wish me luck. Not that I'll need it," he added hastily.

"Good luck!" came the excited response from behind him as he stepped out onto the moving platform. "Knock 'em out!"

* * *

Korra watched the match from the locker room with rapt attention. As her eyes darted back and forth between Bolin's team, the Fire Ferrets, and the opposing Tigerdillos, charting their progress, she could not help but marvel at how _controlled_ it all was. Everything was at a much smaller scale in terms of bending and space than it ever was when she had trained with the White Lotus members. There was something new here, a rapid-fire directness in approach that she had never seen before. It intrigued her, excited her. _Oh man, I've gotta try this_, she thought.

As the match came to an end, the Fire Ferrets' platform was raised back up to the locker room. Bolin was first off the platform, leaping up before it was completely raised. "Woo hoo! Yes!" With great energy, he bounded over to Korra, jade green eyes positively sparkling beneath his helmet. He held up a finger. "Just one more win, and we're in the championship tournament!" As he slipped off his helmet, he added more casually, "So… what'd you think, Korra? Bolin's got some _moves_, huh?"

"What did I think?" Releasing all her pent-up enthusiasm, she grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and yanked him forward. "What did I _think_?! That was _amazing!_"

Before Bolin could react, she grinned and in the spur of the moment, shoved him backwards. While he was still reeling from the effect of her push, Korra turned her attention back to the platform where the rest of the team was now disembarking. There had apparently been some disagreement between the Fire Ferrets' third member and Bolin's brother, Mako, as the waterbender that stepped off the platform looked so annoyed that he could have realistically had a cartoon thundercloud drawn over his head. On his way to the door, he shot out an angry "Get off my case, pal!" over his shoulder. Ripping off his helmet, he flung it at the ground behind him. It hit the ground as the door slammed behind him.

"Useless," said Mako, equal annoyance evident in his voice.

Turning her attention from their dearly-departed irate waterbender, Korra shot him a grin. Mako slid off his helmet, and he began to stride towards the lockers. "Hey, you guys were incredible out there! Especially you, Mr. Hat-trick!" she exclaimed. Enthusiastically, she swept her arms out far in front of her and stabbed both index fingers through the air at Mako.

"Oh, you're still here?"

Korra's grin rapidly shifted to puckered lips and a glare, to boot. She folded her arms across her chest. "Oh, you're still a jerk?" _If I wasn't such an awful excuse for an airbender, I'd blow you over where you stand_, she thought darkly.

"Ooh!" said Bolin. He was clearly enjoying the drama, to some degree.

"_Anyway!_" Reminded of his presence, Korra turned back to Bolin. His demeanor, more friendly and open than that of his brother's, brought the grin back to her face, and she felt her newfound excitement for pro-bending returning in force. "Wow. I've been immersed in bending my entire life, but I _never_ learned how to move like that! It's like there's a whole new style here. Think you could show me a few tricks?"

He grinned lazily. "Ab-so-_lutely_."

"Right now? Come on, Bolin."

Eyes darting briefly towards his brother, Bolin shook his head. He leaned forward, hand cupped next to his mouth to mask the sounds it made, and whispered conspiratorially, "Just ignore him."

"Oh, I plan to," muttered Korra. _Kick his _ass_, that is_, she added silently.

After whispering to Korra, he straightened and began to speak normally once more. As he started to speak, as if in deep thought, he rubbed his chin. "Yeah, I could show you the basics. I'm… not sure how my earthbending would translate to your water bending." He grinned goofily. "But we'll figure it out."

"Won't be a problem." Crossing her arms, Korra couldn't help a note of smugness entering her voice. "I'm actually an earthbender."

Grin fading, he stood dumb for a moment. Raising his eyebrows, he stammered out, "I'm sorry. No, no, I didn't mean to assume…. 'Cause I, you know. I was just figuring, with your Water Tribe getup… that you are… a Water Tribe… _gal_."

"No, you're right," she said casually. "I'm a waterbender. And a firebender." Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Mako's slender frame stiffen slightly. A satisfied smile crossed her face. _Check and mate._

"Mm hmm…." He rubbed his chin. "I'm very confused right now."

As for Mako, he simply sighed. "You're the Avatar… and I'm an idiot."

"Both are true," said Korra, still smiling.

The truth had been spelled out for Bolin. With that, he was finally on the same page as everyone else in the room. Eyes widening, he gaped at his brother as Mako turned around, silently asking if his brother was the one pulling a practical joke for a change. When Mako's features remained impassive, Bolin's mouth fell open. "No… way." He pointed at Korra, adding in a stage whisper, "The _Avatar?!_"

"Yep. Right here. In the flesh." She punched Bolin lightly in the shoulder; he looked like he was about to jump out of his skin. "So you can stop talking about me like I'm not here right now." As Bolin mumbled out some kind of an apology, Korra only grinned. Tensing her arms into a ready position and playfully balling her hands into fists, she said, "Hey, how 'bout that earthbending? Still want to teach the mighty Avatar a thing or two?"

"Oh. Sure!" With only a small bobble, Bolin seemed to have recovered some of his old gusto. He gestured towards the lockers. "Just let me change first."

"How about you?" Korra turned to Mako, who had removed the last of his pro-bending equipment and stowed it in the locker, and she cocked an eyebrow at him. A challenge. "Think you could show me some of that _cool under fire_ style up close?"

"Nah, I think I'm gonna turn in." He started to walk towards the door. "You kids have fun. And nice to meet you, _Avatar_ Korra," he shot over his shoulder.

"Yeah." Korra soured slightly. "Been a _real_ pleasure."

"Hey bro, don't wait up. I'll be back in a couple hours."

"Okay. See you upstairs," said Bolin as he tore off his gloves and shoved them into his locker.

"Upstairs?" Korra watched as the door swung shut behind Mako before turning to Bolin, her expression awed. "You guys live _here_?"

"Yup. In the attic. Nothing fancy, but we have some great views!"

"Wow." Waiting on Bolin to finish stowing his equipment, she leaned back against the railing that substituted for a wall in the locker room. Cracking her knuckles, she stared at her hands for a few moments, listening to the sound they made as the fingers were flexed. "So-o… Mako sure seemed in a hurry to get out of here," she said casually.

"Yeah." He stepped out of his pro-bending suit, revealing that he was wearing a grubby white shirt and grey cargo pants underneath. "There's this chick who ran over Mako a couple weeks ago on her motorcycle. She's been taking him out to dinner ever since."

Korra dropped her hands. "Wait, what?" Taking her weight off the railing and putting it all back on her feet, she stumbled forward. Quickly regaining her balance, her expression perplexed, Korra furrowed her brow. "Mako's _dating_ someone?!"

"Oh, I'm shocked, too, believe me." He gave a long, soft sigh and closed his locker. As he turned to Korra, he clasped his hands to his chest and gave an exaggerated fake choking sob. "My big brother, he's… he's growing up so _fast! _Oh _my_, I don't _ever_ know how I'll do without him!" Korra rolled her eyes; she tossed her head, jostling her ponytails so they went flying. Still, a grin managed to peek out, spreading infectiously across her face as a small laugh flew from her mouth. And for Bolin, that was enough. He grinned from ear to ear. Clapping his hands and rubbing them together, he said, "All right! Let's see what'cha got!"

* * *

**Closing AN:** Can't believe I still haven't gotten past the events of _A Leaf in the Wind_ yet! Anyway, a few things. First, a disclaimer: if anything seems a certain way ship-wise at the moment, it may not stay that way. The One Big Change means everything is still very much up in the air, both in that department and in the main "Equalist Revolution" plot.

Second, a note on any smaller canon shifts I may make. Most of these are things that worked fine on the show, given the limited time it had, but that annoy me and seem sloppy, given a medium with no time limit like prose.  
- It bothers me in canon that security is so tight on Korra with the Southern Water Tribe (I attribute most of her escape to Katara's liberal-mindedness), but that it's so easy for her to slip away on Air Temple Island.  
- It bothers me in canon that moving like an airbender "clicks" for Korra within a matter of days when it's supposed to be so opposite to her personality and when it took her years to master other forms of bending. (It also helps that I get more flexibility with my timeline.)

TL;DR, I will make changes as I see fit, but I may discuss them and my logic for making them at the end for interested parties. Which mostly just means me, but eh, I_ am _writing this for me, no? :)


	2. Chapter 2

**Opening AN:** So, uh, remember when I said I'd update soon? Apparently that was a completely unrealistic expectation on my part. Why? Let's just say I was dumb and decided finally installing Skyrim would be a good idea, and we'll leave it at that. Anyway, much delayed, here is the long-awaited (HA!) second installment. Enjoy!

(Also, a small warning: there is a marked language spike when one character opens his mouth, so in case anyone's offended by that kind of thing, there you go.)

* * *

After his hurried departure from the locker rooms, Mako had grabbed his overcoat and trusty red scarf from the apartment he shared with his brother. Slipping both on over his training clothes, he had hurried down to the ground floor and now found himself outside. He stood at the grandiose front entrance to the arena, which held an excessive number of steps, columns, and electric lights. Leaning his side against one such white marble column, he waited, watching the street below for any sign of Asami. He exhaled. The expelled breath drifted out, hazy and nebulous, into the chill of the night; it was visible for a split second before dissipating into the dark. Suppressing a shiver, Mako gritted his teeth and pulled his overcoat tighter. His eyes scanned the environment for something to distract himself from the cold.

Sure enough, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted another poor sod trying to forget the cold, body hunched as he sat on the stairs—Hasook, the Fire Ferrets' third member and waterbender. Mako furrowed his brow. He contemplated saying something, before he heard the revving of an engine. That diverted his attention to the streets, where the bright lights of the arena illuminated Asami sliding off her parked yellow motorcycle. As she jogged up to him, she pulled off her helmet, allowing her thick black hair to billow around her face. Mako felt his stomach clench. There was just something about that moment when she flipped that silky, luxurious hair of hers….

Her lips parted. She was about to say something. Mako became aware of a sinking sensation in his gut. Impulsively, he stumbled forward and silenced any impending small talk from her mouth with his own. Her body was warm and welcoming, her lips soft and quiet against his. He felt an insane desire to run his hands through her hair, to nuzzle the nape of her neck and ravage it with kisses. But he pushed it down. There was something about that which seemed almost… _sacrilegious_.

When they separated, Asami seemed unsteady on her feet. She nearly tipped forward but grabbing Mako's shoulder, she soon righted herself. Taking a moment to clear her throat, she laughed breathlessly. "You're happy tonight."

"I'm happy to see _you_."

"Match didn't go well?"

"Could have been better."

She bit her lip, her expression crumpling into one of worry. Her light green eyes glanced towards where Hasook was still sullenly sitting before focusing once more on Mako. "Do you guys need a minute?" she asked gently.

"I—" Mako looked back at the huddled figure on the steps. His mouth curved down into a frown. "Yeah. Thanks."

Mako kissed Asami again, more briefly this time. The two then parted, Asami heading back down the stairs, Mako hesitantly walking over to Hasook. He stopped a few feet away from his teammate, judged the space between them to be optimally aloof, and sat down. The marble steps were searing cold through the fabric of his pants, but he smothered the feeling with only a slight grimace.

Then he waited.

Time passed agonizingly slowly; the silence hung heavy between them like the air on a humid summer's day. When it became clear that Hasook wasn't going to say anything, Mako, irritated, took the initiative. "I wasn't exaggerating when I said you almost cost us the match." Mako paused, but still, no response. He tried again. "You haven't had your head in the game for a while now. We've got a real chance if you play as well as I _know_ you can, but if you don't, we'll lose."

"Well, _whoop_-ti-do." The words were muffled, as Hasook delivered them into his forearms. They were nonetheless distinctly dull and toneless.

"In case you've forgotten," said Mako, deliberately pushing down his rising anger, "there's prize money at stake for winning. A lot of it." He stopped, taking a breath. Then he sighed and added, "Look, I don't know what your deal is, but can you just forget that you're pissed with me right now and play a good game tomorrow?"

There was a long pause. Mako's words hung in the air between them, seemingly unacknowledged. Finally, though, Hasook sat up straight, letting his arms fall limp and his hands fall to the ground. "You still don't get it, do you?" His tone was harsh, yet his voice was stuffy as if he had a cold.

Mako frowned, perplexed. "Explain it to me."

"You act like you're this big _moral paragon_, this guy who's seen all the shit in the world and washed his hands of it. You think you know _crooked_ just 'cause you were the Triple Threats' errand boy, but you can't see crooked right in front of your fucking face." He snorted. "Butakha's gonna fleece you dry, pal, and he's just the tip of the fucking iceberg."

"We're _rookies_. He's taking just as much of a risk on us as we are on him."

"There you go again, being a fucking naïve fairy princess. Pro-bending's _dirty_, man. Everything is in this damned city."

"So… what? You think the Triple Threats were _better?_"

Hasook did not respond immediately. He allowed his head to droop, his long black bangs falling in his face. Finally, he sighed. "Every morning I leave home, the clinic's packed. I come back after a match. Still full up, just with new faces. Mostly swarms of green kids who have no fucking clue what they're doin'. They're _scared_, pal, and it scares me that they're scared."

"The Triple Threats are probably just having another turf war."

"No, it's something else. Something big, and it's got _all_ the triads runnin' for cover." He turned to Mako, gray-blue eyes hardening. "I thought if we won, that would mean a lot. That was stupid of me."

"Hasook… look." Mako clapped him on the shoulder. "Sleep on it. The game's tomorrow, and I want you ready to play." As Hasook gave no response, Mako stood up and lingered a moment longer. He had never been one for long, emotionally rousing speeches. In the past, that had always suited him just fine; only now, when he wanted so badly to say something more, did he have a problem with being unable to find the words. So he said nothing.

Still perturbed, Mako raced down the stairs, rushing to the street. He mounted Asami's motorcycle, sliding behind her onto the seat. "Hey," he said, giving her a quick peck on the cheek as he slid his arms around her waist.

"Hey." She passed back his helmet. As he took the proffered headgear and pulled it over his head, Asami watched him from behind her goggles with worried eyes. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah. I think so." He assumed a cheerful expression. Though it didn't quite reach his eyes, it did seem to satisfy Asami. As her features relaxed, so did the knot in his stomach. "So, where are we going?"

She turned her attention back to the bike and started the engine, but Mako caught a small smile as she did so. "Oh, I don't know," Asami said coyly. "How do you feel about parks?"

Mako tensed. "You mean 'parks' as in 'full of hobos, muggers, and pickpockets'?"

"No, silly! 'Parks' as in 'full of trees, trolley cars, and the best _you tiao_ venders in Republic City'." She laughed lightly, but sensing his disapproval, she turned back to him. Dropping one hand from the handlebars, Asami squeezed one of his hands, tilting her head. "It'll be fine," she said softly. "I'd feel safe anywhere if I was with you. Okay?"

Mollified, he nodded.

She smiled. "The park it is."

* * *

The following day, Korra again trekked across the bay to the pro-bending arena and made her way up to the locker room, eager for another action-packed match to take her mind off other worries. After a long, fruitless day of airbending training that had yielded little other than more frustration and the fiery destruction of a thousand-year-old relic, she was ready to be cheered up by the Fire Ferrets utterly crushing yet another inferior team. Instead, as she entered the locker room, Korra found that today, she might be the one doing the cheering up. Their positions separated from several players from another team using the room, the two brothers sat glumly, Mako sprawled out on the floor with his back firmly against the wall, Bolin perched on the bench with his head in his hands. Both looked up at the sound of her entrance, equally downcast. Korra frowned and closed the door. "I didn't miss your match, did I? You guys look like you've lost already!"

"We might as well have," said Bolin.

As Mako was about to add something, Korra felt the door behind her shift inward. She took a few quick steps forward. The small, middle-aged man who poked his head in wore an official-looking black uniform and a pair of thin gray whiskers that distinctly reminded Korra of a catfish. "Fire Ferrets! Where's your waterbender?"

"He's not here yet, sir," said Mako.

"Then he'd better hurry up. You've got two minutes to get a full team ready to play, or you're disqualified." Retreating from the locker room, the referee slammed the door shut.

Bolin sighed. "Well, there goes our shot at the tournament."

"And the winnings." added Mako, glowering at the floor.

"Hey, not so fast!" The brothers looked up glumly at Korra's approach. "What about your friend? He could still show up, right?"

"I don't know… I guess?"

"Hasook's a no-good no-show," snapped Mako, his ire more than making up for his brother's lack thereof. "He's made that perfectly clear."

"Well, then how about me? I'm a top-notch waterbender, if I do say so myself."

"But… you're the Avatar," said Bolin blankly.

"So?"

"_So?!_ You're like this big mystic superhero we all learned about when we were kids and… isn't that cheating or something?"

"Hey, I'm not just some spiritual title! I'm also a person." Korra thought back to her sad attempts at learning airbending, and she repressed a shudder. "A person, I might add, who can help you kick some major ass out there with my waterbending!"

"No." Mako stood up abruptly. "No way! I'd rather forfeit than look like a fool out there."

"Wow. Thanks for the vote of confidence." She rolled her eyes. "It's not as though I was taught to bend by the best masters in the world or anything."

He matched her sarcasm. "Well, it's not as though _I've_ ever seen you play in a pro-bending match before or anything."

"Actually," interjected Bolin, "I thought she was a pretty fast learner." His statement _did_ have the desired effect of distracting the other two from their verbal sparring match; however, both merely turned to glare at him instead. He shrunk back from their annoyance like a cornered rat.

Luckily for him, the locker room door swung open just then with the referee reentering. "Time's up. You in or out?"

"We're in!"

Mako looked at Korra with dismay. "We are?"

"Yes! Woohoo!" Excitedly, Bolin shoved his helmet on and, whistling, strolled towards the platform.

"Hey!" Mako took a step towards Korra who had rushed to the lockers and was now sliding into Hasook's old gear. "I didn't agree to this."

"Too bad. You can thank me later," she shot over her shoulder. A sudden temptation possessed her to stick out her tongue at him as an added nonverbal "So_ there!_", but she wavered and ultimately held her tongue. As she finished putting on the too-loose garments, she dashed past Mako, who had turned white as a sheet, onto the platform. Hearing him mutter something behind her, she found herself regretting her decision to err towards maturity.

But all thoughts of Mako were soon pushed from her mind. Neither listening to snatches of matches on the radio nor watching a match in the arena had prepared her for this: the masses of people watching; the announcer's voice blaring in the background; the other team's three members on the opposite side of the ring; and, most of all, standing there on her own two feet.

The two brothers assumed their positions, Mako in the center and Bolin on his right, as veterans who had done this countless times before. She stepped into place on the other side of Mako. As she did so, he _had_ to choose that moment to speak. "Don't do anything too fancy or aggressive. In fact, don't do anything," he said. Right then, he reminded her a little of Tenzin; she was _really _regretting not sticking her tongue out at him. "Just _try_ not to get knocked off the ring!"

"You got it, captain," she said a touch snidely.

"Players!" Korra's borrowed helmet slipped down, over her eyes; she pushed it back up impatiently as the mustachioed referee continued, "Are you ready?" The question was rhetorical. When neither team voiced a complaint, he raised a hand. Korra tensed, leaning forward. He blew the whistle, and the match had begun.

And somehow, everything went downhill from there. In the very first moments of the match, she chucked a ball of water at one of the opposing team members, knocking him off the edge of the ring. Despite knocking him out, though, she had apparently not done so in the right way, as she was supposed to do so off the back of the ring instead. That hiccup set the tone for the entirety of the first two rounds. One after the other, every move she made seemed to be wrong; the techniques that had always worked for her in the past had suddenly become ineffective in the narrow confines of the pro-bending ring. Her eagerness began to be worn down, slowly but surely, into frustration, culminating in her being knocked out of the ring.

Korra fell into the water below, affectionately called "the drink" by the announcer. Orienting herself, she swam to the edge and pulled her head out of the water to catch her breath. She became aware of the hemline of a set of bright yellow-orange robes. Looking up, she saw a bearded face she knew only too well and grinned nervously. "Oh hey, Tenzin!" She pulled herself out of the water by her forearms and stood up to face him. "I thought you didn't like coming to these matches?"

None of her cheerfulness did any good, however. As always, Tenzin remained determinedly stoic. "Once again, you have flagrantly disobeyed my orders. You were to stay on the island." He turned and began to walk away. "Let's go, Korra."

"No!" As he stopped, she hesitated. "I'm, uh, kind of in the middle of something."

"I've tried my very best to get through to you by being gentle and patient," he said, turning towards her. Korra steeled herself; he was beginning to turn an unattractive shade of purple. "But clearly, the only thing you respond to is force! So I am _ordering_ you to come back to the temple."

"Why? So I can sit around and meditate about how _bad_ I am at airbending?" Korra frowned deeply. "You know, I'm beginning to think there's a reason I haven't been able to learn it. Maybe, I don't even _need_ it!"

"What?! That is a ludicrous suggestion! The Avatar needs to learn airbending. It's _not_ optional!"

"No! This is what I need to learn: modern styles of fighting."

"Being the Avatar isn't all about _fighting_, Korra. When will you learn that?"

Korra stuck out her bottom lip stubbornly. "I have a match to go finish," she said. As she turned on her heel and began climbing back into the ring from the drink, she caught a parting glimpse of Tenzin's expression. He almost looked… _disappointed_. An involuntary pang of regret tugged at the pit of her stomach. Determinedly, she pushed it down. Normally, she definitely _would_ have felt sorry. Only just then, she didn't want to.

Despite all of the gusto she had displayed in front of Tenzin, when she returned to the ring for the third round, everything seemed to go downhill fast. The Fire Ferrets soon found themselves in desperate straits, with Mako and Bolin wedged into a corner and Korra alone fending off a barrage of attacks from the Platypus Bears. No matter how much water she flung at them to fend them off, she felt her feet losing traction with the ground and herself being inexorably pushed back towards the edge. And worst of all, even if she was the Avatar, there was nothing she could do, not enough power within her to would keep her from the drink. Damn it! All she needed was a little more room to maneuver, a little more freedom of movement—

_Let your mind and your spirit be free, for air is the element of freedom._ Her ankles were skirting the edge of the ring when Tenzin's words came back to her. When she first heard them, they had seemed preachy and hypocritical. And perhaps they still were, but something about them now clicked within her. _Be the leaf_, she reminded herself. Taking a breath to brace herself, Korra loosened her muscles and stance, and she allowed her motion to begin to be guided by flowing yet gently controlled circular movements.

The Platypus Bears were not expecting her sudden epiphany. Continuing to lob their strongest attacks at her, they now were hitting nothing but air. It was simply clean-up now for Mako and Bolin to follow up with several well-timed attacks of fire and earth, sending all three of their opponents careening out of the ring and exciting the crowd into a wild frenzy. The Fire Ferrets had won.

Korra let out the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. She pulled off her helmet and, closing her eyes, took in the sound of the claps and cheers. Unbidden, her remorse came bubbling back up, and she didn't stop it this time. There was someone who, while he really could be a stick in the mud at times, still deserved an apology back on Air Temple Island; Korra knew what was coming, and she already felt embarrassed just thinking about it.

* * *

After the obligatory end-of-game handshakes with the other team and the parting cheery waves at the crowd, Korra boarded the lift with Mako and Bolin. Only then did it hit her: _I won. That was my first pro-bending match… and I won_, she thought to herself. Wonder dawned on her face. She looked up at the two brothers. Mako seemed to be absorbed in his own thoughts, _as usual_, but Bolin matched her look with equal excitement. "We… we did it!"

"_Yes_, we did it!" He leaned in front of Mako and offered his hand. "High five!" Korra swung her hand through the air so it made contact with his with a resounding clap. Her lips pulled into a grin that was too big for her face, and as she withdrew her hand, giddy, she may have imperceptibly been bouncing in her boots. The platform docked with the locker room. "Pabu! Where are you?" Bolin called. A distinct chittering came from one of the lockers, and he excitedly dashed off to change.

Korra laughed at the outburst and moved to follow, when she felt a hand grasp her forearm. She looked towards the source: Mako. Her grin faded. _Great. What now?_

"Korra," he said, "can I talk to you?"

"Still wish you'd forfeited, huh?"

"_No!_ I mean…." He grimaced. Dropping her arm, Mako rubbed the back of his neck with his other hand. After a short pause, he began again. "Korra, what can I say? You really came alive in that last round. The way you dodged their attacks…you are a natural."

Surprisingly, he sounded sincere. Leaning back slightly, she crossed her arms over her chest. "So I guess that's as close as you get to an apology?"

He shrugged. "Pretty much."

Korra smiled and, gesturing towards Hasook's old locker, began to move towards it. Mako followed to his own locker. "Well, thanks," said Korra, opening the locker and putting away her gloves, "but I can't take all the credit. Someone else taught me those moves."

"Really?" He seemed strangely interested.

"Did you see the guy I was talking to down in the drink between the second and third rounds?" At Mako's nod, she continued, "That's Tenzin. He's been teaching me airbending on Air Temple Island for the last couple weeks."

"Hmm." He seemed to ponder that for a moment as he unlaced one of his gloves. "I've been thinking—"

"Mako, _thinking_?!" Korra gave a mock gasp. "Will the wonders never cease?"

He frowned. Pulling off his glove, brandished it a touch menacingly at Korra before stowing it in his locker. "I was _thinking_, if Bolin and I could learn to move like you did, the three of us might have a shot at winning the championship."

Korra nearly dropped her helmet. Stunned, she stared at Mako for a moment, trying to read for some trace of sarcasm. Detecting none, she said slowly, "You said… the _three_ of us."

"Sure. Why not?" At Korra's ensuing grin, Mako smiled a little. It looked out of place on his otherwise deathly serious face. "So, what do you say? Think you could get Tenzin to show us a few tricks?"

Still grinning, Korra extended a hand across the lockers, and Mako shook it. "I'll see what I can do."

"Great! Welcome to the team."

* * *

After putting away her borrowed Fire Ferrets uniform and graciously declining Bolin's invitation to grab celebratory chicken pad thai, Korra returned to Air Temple Island. As she entered the main courtyard and scoured the area to find Tenzin, she simultaneously hoped and feared that he had decided to adjourn to bed early. But she didn't have to worry for too long; she quickly found Tenzin, supervising members of the White Lotus who were repairing the relic Korra had so fitfully destroyed. She stopped a few paces behind him. "Tenzin?" He turned around at the sound of her voice. Nervousness gnawed at the pit of her stomach, but, steeling herself, she took a deep breath and said, "I'm really sorry. About everything I said. I was just…really frustrated with myself, and I took it out on you."

"I think I owe you an apology, too. I was trying to teach you about patience, but I lost mine."

His apology took her by surprise, but it was not unwelcome. Remembering the past weeks' frustrations, she shot him a wan smile. "No hard feelings?"

"Of course not," he said softly. "By the way, you were really good out there tonight. You moved just like an airbender!"

"Really? Wait." She cocked her head to one side, and her smile widened into a grin. "You stayed and watched?"

"I did. Pro-bending turned out to be the perfect teaching tool for you." He smiled, the corners of his mouth twitching against the sides of his beard.

Korra recognized that such a smile from Tenzin was rare and might never come again. She felt a swell of pride; she also felt that this would be the ideal moment to press him for favors. "'kay," she said, turning around and proffering him a wave, "I'll see you tomorrow for airbending practice, bright and early!" As she began to jog away, she shot over her shoulder, "And by the way, I kinda permanently joined the Fire Ferrets, and we're playing in the tournament in a couple of weeks! Oh, and my team wants to train airbending moves with us. I told them they could come tomorrow, if that's okay?" When it looked like he was going to interject, she smoothly cut in, "Great! Thanks, Tenzin! You're the best!"

Picking up the pace, she ran faster until she was far enough away to justify the claim that she hadn't heard him. Only then did she allow herself to slow down and pump her fist in celebration. Come morning, she could probably expect a long lecture from Tenzin about her role as the Avatar, but for tonight, she could savor her successes and dream about her future.

Things were looking up for the Avatar.

* * *

**Closing AN:** So, did I deliver or what? ;) Things are starting to noticeably shift a bit, and I'm super excited to share what's coming next. First things first, though, some bad news (great news for me, though!): I'm heading back to college in a couple of days. Considering the_ insanity_ of having sets to do every week, it may be a few months before I can update again. Trust me when I say that I will be working on this, though, in my spare time and that I _will_ update; I just won't be, y'know, _expeditious_ about it.

Now for the bit where I self-indulgently chatter about smaller shifts in canon:  
- I'm not a huge fan of making a major character out of someone who's just a name like Hasook. However, I'm also not a fan of adding a character, vaguely implying that he's an jerk, and then taking the unloved (and therefore unmissed) character off-screen for narrative convenience. I feel bad for Hasook-the-narrative-prop, so here, he gets to have his five minutes of fame and become Hasook, the minor character who may or may not appear again.  
- I realize the show had time constraints, but Korra's airbending epiphany always struck me as a dropped plot thread. She demonstrates that she's great in the arena with her airbending moves, and in subsequent games, _they're never mentioned again_ when they're presented as giving the Fire Ferrets such an advantage.

Anyway, I appreciate any feedback you may have. Feel free to tell me I'm a pretentious asshat! Or not. Whatever suits your fancy. :)


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